Jump to content

The soap opera writers' discussion


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 427
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

I know David Jacobs is credited as "creating" Dallas and Knots, but do we know his contributions?  I see that he wrote on the first three seasons of Dallas, and he wrote the TV Movie Dallas: The Early Years. So, was he the head writer? Are there any significant episodes that we can attribute to him?  Did he adapt the source material for Dallas?  

In other words, does anyone know if he was more of a writer or a producer?

Edited by j swift
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I am watching a rerun of To Tell the Truth, and writer Ira Avery (Love of Life, The Secret Storm, The Doctors, Search for Tomorrow, The Guiding Light, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing).

He was using the pen name Mavis Hathaway to write a new romance novel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I do remember the name Katherine Babecki.   I had not realized that this was Katherine Phillips before now, I don't think.

It is a little like writer Cathy Chicos, who wrote All My Children.   She was actually Cathy Nixon, daughter of Agnes Nixon, after her marriage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Did Agnes son-in-law also write for the show or am I confused?

Agnes mentored Wisner Washam but after he left AMC I don't think he wrote any other soap. He was pretty much de facto headwriter for many years.'

He clashed with Megan McTavish I believe and quit the show.

I have just read Agnes' book and wish she had have gone into more detail about BTS stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Mr. Washam was later head writer for The Guiding Light.

He was the husband of Anne Barcroft (Ann #3) and the father of Ian Washam (Little Phillip #1).

I have never understood why he did not work on Loving.   I loved the work of head writer Ralph Ellis, but I expect that the show would have been better had Mr. Washam written it.

Edited by danfling
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

He did write for GL but I don't believe he was the head writer.  Of course JFP did not like him - his writing would be too intelligent for her. 

I agree that he should have been made head writer of Loving.  He quite possibly could have been the one to make it a hit.

https://www.welovesoaps.net/2010/03/wisner-washam-interview-part-3-of-3.html

We Love Soaps: You also wrote for GUIDING LIGHT at one point.
Wisner Washam: When I was canned from ALL MY CHILDREN, I lacked six months having enough time with the Writers Guild to be covered by the health insurance plan. Back in those days you had to work 20 years, count 'em, 20 years, in order to vest. I lacked six months. At that point, Lorraine Broderick was working at GUIDING LIGHT and, bless her heart, got me a job. They hired me but I did not fit in at all. Jill Farren-Phelps was the producer and she didn't like me. At the end of six months I was let go. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

How long was it before Lois Kibbee left the role of Elizabeth Sanders on One Life to Live and her death?

I have wondered why she never became a writer on the that show.   I think that she appeared after the time that Henry Slesar had left his writing position on that show.   (They had written The Edge of Night together at one time.)

I wonder if she had become ill by the time that Elizabeth was written off the show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • Members

I had long wondered about the late writer Lou Shaw.   I see his name many nights as the creator of Quincy, M. E.

I learned this afternoon that he was once the husband of the late soap opera writer Peggy O'Shea, a wonderful writer (in my opinion) of One Life to Live and the serial Capitol.

I remember that Ms. O'Shea departed from One Life to Live saying that she would never write for a daytime drama again because the networks were too interfering. 

She also wrote for Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life.   She collaborated with her husband to write episodes of the primetime Peyton Place.

Edited by danfling
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Thank u so much! I love that show and the more I see of it the more I want to find more of it even if it’s just in script form. But that house and especially the room looked like Victoria Winters room from dark shadows lol  this was great find! Thanks 
    • I genuinely thought when they said she had been throwing up, we were going to get a pregnancy story. I’m actually not convinced we aren’t. Especially the way she and Doug danced around her own infidelity.
    • Shouldn't it be the other way? I don't think Taylor Hayes is playing Rebecca Budig.   

      Please register in order to view this content

    • And the most detailed discussion I've seen from an industry figure about some of JFP's worst choices as a producer (steamrolling over writers) was from another woman, Megan McTavish.
    • IMDb is definitely incorrect, because the final week of episodes in 1974 is uploaded to Youtube in audio form, and Mark and Laurie are there until the very end. The last episode shows Mark going back to the priesthood. I looked at the newspaper and the earliest reference to their house being haunted by Georgina is in December of 1973. This is dated Dec 14, but this same synopsis ran in the papers until the end of December in other publications. So it must have been within those last 3-4 months. I think Stephanie Braxton joined around 1969-1970 so that's probably right. I saw it stated in other newspapers that David Gale joined around September 1972.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Opal having siblings could add to the story. However, it raises questions about Tad's adoption. Why were the Martins allowed to adopt him if Tad had aunts or uncles who could have cared for him?  Logic limited the number of possible Gardner's (and whatever Opal's maiden name was).  Even though Linda Thorson would have been a hysterical choice given her British accent.  Especially because SOD often published questions by readers who wondered why Tad and Jenny didn't speak like their mother.   All of which is still not an excuse for Tad's evil doppelgänger Ted. 
    • And if I remember correctly, at one point, they were considering having Linda Thorson play Opal's sister.
    • Interesting. Makes me wonder how the day to day looked for Secret Storm at this point in the run. This seems very to deal with the psychological aspect, I guess the "inner storm", and the music is almost sinister. If this is from 1974 there's not much room for dates it could've been from as it ended on February 8th.  It's hard to tell from an edit featuring just one storyline, but if this was the day to day it might've been heavy for the casual viewers.   ETA: Stephanie Braxton is credited to have appeared as Laurie from 1970-1973. David Gale is credited only in 1973 and Alexander Scourby from 1972-1973. I know IMDB isn't always right, but I'd say this is likely 1973 - I'm guessing all these characters exited before 1974 and this might be a part of their final storyline. 
    • Well, they were both involved with Ray Gardner.  Then, the actress left in 1980, only to return as a somewhat broader interpretation of the character after Dottie was SORASed.  By that time, Opal had left in 1983.  So, while they serve the same story function,(verbally abusive/neglectful mothers who make you feel sorry for their daughters), one could argue that Edna was the carbon copy.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy